1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a fluid sampler and, more particularly, to an in situ, clog-resistant pore-water sampler for use in collecting water samples to determine depth profiles of chemical constituents across a sediment-water interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fluid sampling may be used to monitor environmental changes in water, air, or other desired fluids, and to monitor water quality in ground water and surface water. For example, it is desirable to estimate the potential importance of solute flux from the benthos in aquatic systems where long-term (decadal) sediment accumulation of nutrients or toxic substances are of concern. More information regarding the determination of benthic flux in aquatic systems is found in J. S. Kuwabara et al., “Quantifying the Benthic Source of Nutrients to the Water Column of Upper Klamath Lake, Oreg.,” U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 2007-1276, 39 pp., 2007, incorporated herein by reference.
Conventional techniques used to sample pore water to quantify the benthic flux of biologically reactive solutes across the sediment-water interface are labor, equipment, and resources demanding. Also, where sediment is dominated by fines (less than 63-micron particles), particularly detrital fines with high-organic content (e.g., in eutrophic, lentic environments), conventional samplers can quickly clog to yield inadequate sample volumes.
Therefore, there is a need for a simple, inexpensive, reliable, remote sampling device for use in obtaining test samples of a fluid medium for major and trace solutes from remote sites that will not clog when obtaining samples from fine, organic-rich sediments.